Pail type shipping container



Feb. 23, 1965 F E. ULLMAN ETAL 3,170,591

PAIL TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Aug. l0, 1962 Z5 El 3o 3s .L E 34 l l, yIl

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United States Patent C) 3,170,591 PAIL TYPE SPNG CONTAINER Frederick E. Ullman, Winnetka, and Phillip C. Uraslry, Chicago, Ill., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Inland Steel Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 216,095 2 Claims. (Cl. 22h-91) The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to an improved slotted ear and bail construction therefor.

In the steel shipping container industry a common type of shipping container is known as an open head" container or pail and is conventionally provided with a bail diametrically pivoted on ears welded or otherwise affixed to the sides of the container. Such containers, in two to seven gallon sizes, are conventionally reinforced by deforming the wall into one or more ridges or beads and are provided with covers which are crimped to a curl formed along the upper edge.

It is desirable, in order to avoid waste space, and to prevent damage during transit, for the containers to be placed bead-to-bead. However, this condition is diiicult to achieve since, in the conventional ear and bail design, the balls, when in lowered position, extend substantially beyond the profile of the container and interfere with adjacent containers.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container having an improved slotted ear and bail construction in which the bail may be swung to its upraised position without interference with the bead, curl, uncrimped or crimped-on cover but which, nevertheless, permits the bail to be swung downwardly into a closely nested position about the container without projecting substantially beyond the container profile thereby permitting similar containers to be nested cornpactly together bead-to-bead. it is a related object to provide a container having an improved ear and bail construction which avoids any possibility of the bail of one container rubbing against the sidewall of an adjacent container during shipment or handling thereby to deface the paint, decoration, or labelling on the outside of the adjacent container. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a container having an improved ear and bail construction in which little or no care need be exercised during handling or packing, and in which it is not necessary to orient one container carefully with respect to' the adjacent ones.

Finally it is an object of the invention to provide a novel ear and bail construction which is inexpensive but in which the ears may be easily attached by spot welding or the like while providing high inherent strength so that materials of high density may be safely transported.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a container having ears and bail constructed in accordance with the present invention and with the bail shown in upraised position.

FIG. 2 is a side view taken at right angles to FiG, 1 and showing the bail in lowered position.

FIG. 3 is a top View showing a plurality of containers packed side by side.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section showing the contact between adjacent containers with the bail in lowered position.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section showing the clearing of the cover as the bail is upraised.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top view showing the projection of the ear beyond the container prole.

ICC

FIG. 7 is a fragment showing the relation between the bail loop and ear when the bail is in lowered position.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment it will be understood that we do not intend to be limited to the illustrated embodiment but intend to cover the various alternative and equivalent constructions included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawing, a typical shipping container or pail 10 of the type under discussion has a cylindrical side wall 11 and bottom wall 12. At the upper edge or lip of the container is an outwardly projecting curl 13 which serves as a seat for a crimp type cover 15, The latter is formed with a plurality of lugs 16 which are seated around the curl by a suitable crimping machine well known to those skilled in the art. Where hermetic sealing is required a ribbon of sealing compound 17 or a suitable gasket may be provided inside the edge of the cover. To open the cover the lugs 16 are simply pried outwardly by a suitable prying tool inserted in slots which are formed in the lugs.

For the purpose of reinforcing the side wall, particularly against crushing or deformation during shipment, and to enable use of thinner gauge metal than would otherwise be possible, an upper bead 21 is formed adjacent the upper end of the container and an optional second bead 22 is formed adjacent the base. These beads are preferably of the same radial height. Preferably also the height of the beads slightly exceeds that of the curl by an amount which is substantially equal to the thickness of the cover metal so that the containers may seat cover-to-cover as well as bead-to-bead for protection during shipment. For convenient carrying and handling of the container, a generally semi-circular bail 30 is provided which engages ears 31, 32 secured to the side wall of the container, loops 33, 3d being formed on the ends of the bail. At the center of the bail is a handle 25 which may be made of wood or plastic.

Turning attention to the ear 31, it is preferably formed of a at strip of metal bent to provide anchoring pads 41, 42, and a flat central portion 43 which is vertically oriented and which extends radially outward from the wall of the container. The pad portions 41, 42 are secured to the wall of the container by spot welding or the like directly under the upper bead.

In accordance with the present invention, openings are provided in the ears 31, 32 in the form of slots which extend upwardly and outwardly so that, when the bail is upraised and force applied to lift the pail, the loops which are formed on the bail occupy the upper ends of the slots to clear the adjacent bead and curl and so that when the bail is swung downwardly into lowered position the loops occupy the lower ends of the slots with the bail being closely nested to the container wall, free of contact with adjacent containers. Taking the ear 31 by way of example, and as best shown in FIG. 5, itk

has formed therein a slot Sd which is angled upwardly and outwardly to define an upper end 51 outboard of the external diameter of the bead 21 and a lower end 52 inboard of the external diameter of the bead 21. The angle may, for example, be on the order ofv 30 to the vertical and in the case of a container having a capacity of, say, seven gallons, the slot may have an axial length on the order of 5/8 inch and a radial displacement on the order of 5/16 inch.

Further, in accordance with the invention, the loops 33, 34, on the ends of the bail 30, are made of circular shape and of'a `suliicient inside diameter so that when the bail is Seated in the lower end of the slot, the upper edge of the ear is cleared as indicated at 55 (see FIG. 7). It will tbe apparent that the radial displacement may be made just suiicient, having -in mind the curvature of the bail and the geometry of the cover to produce slight clearance at S6 at the edge of the cover. The bail 3() is suitably curved throughout its entire length except for the central dat which mounts the handle 2S, and is of such height that bending stresses resulting from carrying a loaded pail do not cause substantial inward deformation of the bail. If desired, the clearance at d may be increased as necessary in order to clear the lugs 16 of the coverrin their uncrirnped position, thereby enabling the cover to be temporarily replaced while still permitting normal use of the bail. In conventional construction-s where the bail has sucient span to clear the lugs, interference of the bail with adjacent pails unavoidably occurs when the -bail is in lowered position. If a conventional bail were made non-interfering in kthe down position, the uncrimped lugs would tend to block the swing of the bail to vertical position which would constitute a nuisance to the pail manufacturer orller.

VPrior to crimping, and when the pail is shipped from the manufacturer to the user or filler, the lugs occupy the `straight position shown in FIGfS. It will be apparent that the lugs are cleared by the bail, in the present construction, when they are either in the crimped or uncrimped states.

lit is preferred, in the practice of the invention, to have the bail sprung or prestressed inwardly by a small amount so that the loops at the ends of the bail will tend to occupy the lower, i.e., inner position of the slots, remaining stably'seated therein when the bail is lowered for transport. the pail and its contents, or even the pail alone prior to filling, will be suicient to cause the loops tocam outwardly into seated position V at the upper ends of the slots. However, the invention is not limited thereto and if desired the bail maybe made neutral so that the loops normally tend to occupy a position midway of the slots with light forces in either the downward orupward directions suiiicing to cam the loops into the respective seated positions. 0r, if desired, the bails may be sprung slightly outwardly so that the weight ofthe pail and contents need not be relied upon to seat the bail in the upper positions of the slots. This latter condition is not When the bail is upraised, the weight of preferred because of the possible reluctance of the `bail i ends to move inwardly as the lbail is swung down and because of the possibility that the bail lmay tend to stand out from thewall of the container, particularly where the outward spring is excessive.

The practical advantage of the construction will be apparent upon considering a typical cycle of use. After a container has beeny fabricated, painted, and a'y label appiiedin the `form of a printed or silk-screened impression, decal, or the like, the containers mu'st be stored as compactly as possible, until use. In the present construction, since the bail 30 is uniformly curved and occupies. a `closely nested position against the cylindrical wall of the container, the containers may be packed bead-to-bead with no contact-between the bail of one of the containers andthe side wall of another. `Moreable to utilize the bail since a lled container 'hask substantial weight, of the order of sixty'tive pounds or more, depending upon the material which it contains. YWhen the handle is pulled upwardly, the upward component of force thereon causes the loops at the end of the bail to ride upwardly in the slots Sil with an outward cam- Vming action so that when the handle is straight up the loops of the bail are seated at the outer extremities 5l of the lslots Sti in each of the ears. As stated, this insures clearing the bead andv cover. Conversely, in depositing the container the handle is swung ydownwardly with a downward component of force, causing the loops of the bail to ride inwardly in the slot, seating in the lower ends 52 lof the slot when in fully lowered position and with the handle resting against the side of the container. Since the'handle and the ears, together, occupy such a small `portion Vof the totalperiphery, no difficulty will be nfound in stacking pailsadiacent one another without handle-to-handle or ear-to-ear interference. Consequently the containers may be stacked together without necessity for taking undue precautions against bail-to-bail,interference. The construction, therefore, brings about a degree of economy, because of the reduction in handling labor and in the saving of handling time, and also because of the reduction in volume of storage required. Moreover, since the bails are prevented from denting or scratching the painted or labelled lsurfaces of adjacent containers, each of the containers is more likely to remain in perfect condition until it reaches the hands of the customer. Rail shipping damage` is minimized with bead-to-bead packing since each container presents its reinforced beads to the adjacent containers to take up impact; thus thinner gauge metal may be employed for the containers that would otherwise `be possible.

Because the bail reaction is applied to the ears 3l, 32 in the plane of themetal, such ears are inherently strong notwithstanding the fact that the slots 5i) occupy a relativeiylarge portion ofthe ear area.- Y

lt will be apparent that the particular proportions disclosed in the drawings may be modied without departing from the invention. To assist one in practicing the invention, it will be helpful to keep in mind certain general principles of design. In the rst place the bead or beads of the pail must extend beyond the pail body by a suiicient distance to vprovide clearanceY between adjacent pails for the ear and bail when the bail is in the lowered position. Moreover, angled' slots Sil in the ears must provide sufficient radial movement at the bail ends so as to produce the desiredl clearance between the bail and the curl or bead when the bail is in the vertical carry position. The inner ends of the slots should preferably terminate close to the body of the container so that the bail nests, when in the lowered position, as compactly as possible.

We claim as our invention:

l. In a shipping container the combina-tion comprising a cylindrical wall, the upper edge of the wall being formed into an outwardly extending curl, a bead formed in the wall near the upper edge of the container, a pair of ears located in diametrical Vpositions on the wall of the container immediately below the upper bead and secured by welding or thelike, said ears each beingV in the form of a flat vertically oriented plate of metal extending radially outward kfrom the wall of the container and having a radial extent which is slightly less than twice the height of the bead so as to permit accommodation of the ear when similar containers are arranged bead-to-beadduring shipment, said ears having openings formed therein, afbail of generally semi-circular shape having loops formed in its ends Vfor engaging the openings in said ears, said ba-il being sprung inwardly and said openings Vbeing in the form of slots angled upwardly and outwardly, so that when an upward force is` applied to thebail the loops thereon are moved into seated position in the upper endsv of the slots with the bail spread outwardly to clear the 'bead and curl and so that when the bail is swung downwardly for-shipment the loops on the bail are free to spring inwardly to occupy the lower ends of the respective slots for close nesting of the bail with respectto the container and so that the vbail is held clear of the side walls of adjacent containers regardless of the relative orientation between them.

2. In a shipping container, the combination comprising, a side -wall having an upper edge, a cover seated on said upper edge and projecting outwardly beyond said side Wall, a bead formed in said side Wall adjacent to and beneath said upper edge, a pair of ears secured to said vside wall, said ears being in the form of vertically oriented substantially at tabs of metal extending radially outward from diametrically opposed points on the container, said ears having openings formed therein, and ya curved bail having generallyv circular loops formed at its ends for engaging the openings in respective different ones of said ears, said bail being sprung inwardly, said openings being in the form of slots extending upwardly from Va point inboard of the external diameter of said bead and outwardly with respect to the container to a point outboard of the external diameter of said bead so that when an upward force is applied to said bail said 6 loops are spread apart and seated in the upper ends of said slots and the sides of said bai1 clear both said cover and rsaid bead, and so that Awhen said bail is swung downwardly said loops are free to move to the lower ends of the slots with the sides of said bail drawn together into closely nested position with respect to said container Wall to permit -bead-tolbead stacking of similar containers.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,063,609 Shaw et al. June 3, 1913 1,351,896 Doyle et al. Sept. 7, 1920 1,452,562 Krauss Apr, 24, 1923 1,527,897 Mittinger Feb. 24, 1925 1,869,348 Rollason July 26, 1932 1,910,426 Courtright May 23, 1933 1,948,920 Johnson Feb. 27, 1934 2,026,536 Hothersall Jan. 7, 1936 

1. IN A SHIPPING CONTAINER THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A CYLINDRICAL WALL, THE UPPER EDGE OF THE WALL BEING FORMED INTO AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING CURL, A BEAD FORMED IN THE WALL NEAR THE UPPER EDGE OF THE CONTAINER, A PAIR OF EARS LOCATED IN DIAMETRICAL POSITIONS ON THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE UPPER BEAD AND SECURED BY WELDING OR THE LIKE, SAID EARS EACH BEING IN THE FORM OF A FLAT VERTICALLY ORIENTED PLATE OF METAL EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARD FROM THE WALL OF THE CONTAINER AND HAVING A RADIAL EXTENT WHICH IS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN TWICE THE HEIGHT OF THE BEAD SO AS TO PERMIT ACCOMMODATION OF THE EAR WHEN SIMILAR CONTAINERS ARE ARRANGED BEAD-TO-BEAD DURING SHIPMENT, SAID EARS HAVING OPENINGS FORMED THEREIN, A BAIL OF GENERALLY SEMI-CIRCULAR SHAPE HAVING LOOPS FORMED IN ITS ENDS FOR ENGAGING THE OPENINGS IN SAID EARS, SAID BAIL BEING SPRUNG INWARDLY AND SAID OPENINGS BEING IN THE FORM OF SLOTS ANGLED UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY SO THAT WHEN AN UPWARD FORCE IS APPLIED TO THE BAIL THE LOOPS THEREON ARE MOVED INTO SEATED POSITION IN THE UPPER ENDS OF THE SLOTS WITH THE BAIL SPREAD OUTWARDLY TO CLEAR THE BEAD AND CURL AND SO THAT WHEN THE BAIL IS SWUNG DOWNWARDLY FOR SHIPMENT THE LOOPS ON THE BAIL ARE FREE TO SPRING INWARDLY TO OCCUPY THE LOWER ENDS OF THE RESPECTIVE SLOTS FOR CLOSE NESTING OF THE BAIL WITH RESPECT TO THE CONTAINER AND SO THAT THE BAIL IS HELD CLEAR OF THE SIDE WALLS OF ADJACENT CONTAINERS REGARDLESS OF THE RELATIVE ORIENTATION BETWEEN THEM. 